Positive Effects Of Cross-classification On High Class Stereotypes

With the rapid development of China,it has also brought about social stratification marked by income level,occupational status,and education leve.People have fixed psychological schema of social class.Social class stereotypes become one of the cognitive factors leading to class conflicts.Among them,the negative stereotype held by the lower class against the higher class(High-capability,Low-morality,Low-warmth)seriously threatens the harmony and stability between the social classes.Social identity theory and multi-category theory believe that "simultaneous categorization" is one of the strategies to weaken the after-effect of negative class stereotypes,and the typical method of "simultaneous categorization" is cross-categorization.As a cognitive process,cross-classification refers to social classification in two or more category dimensions at the same time when making social judgments related to the group,forming a cross between the internal and external group identities in multiple category dimensions.However,there is no sufficient empirical evidence for the positive impact of cross-classification on class stereotypes,and the research on its mechanism is still blank.Therefore,under the guidance of social identity theory,this study explores the positive impact of cross-classification on class stereotypes and its mechanism.Study one examines that the essence of cross-classification affecting class stereotypes lies in the identity of the inner group.That is to solve the problem of whether cross-classification can weaken the stereotype of the lower class towards the higher class by sharing the identity of the inner group.Study two constructs and tests the cognitive pathway model that cross-classification affects class stereotypes:self-anchorage plays a mediating role between cross-classification and class stereotypes.The conclusions of this research are as follows:(1)The high-level stereotypes are high-capability,low-warmth,and lowmorality.(2)Cross-classification has a positive effect on the warm and moral dimension of stereotypes,but has no significant effect on the capability dimension.(3)Cross-classification positively influences the warmth evaluation of the high class through self-anchoring.(4)Cross-classification has no effect on the evaluation of high-level capability through self-anchoring.(5)Cross-classification positively influences the moral evaluation of the upper class through self-anchoring.